New Jersey Route 18

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Route 18
WWII War Veterans Memorial Parkway Maintained by NJDOT
Length:	40.16 mi[1] (64.63 km)
Formed:	1953 (1927 as Route S28)
South end:	NJ 138 in Wall Twp
Major junctions:	NJ 33 in Neptune NJ 36 in Eatontown GSP in Tinton Falls NJ 34 in Colts Neck NJ 79 in Marlboro US 9 in Old Bridge I-95/NJTP in East Brunswick US 1 in New Brunswick
North end:	Hoes Lane in Piscataway
New Jersey State Highway Routes < NJ 17 NJ 18N >
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Route 18

Route 18 is a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It begins at an intersection with Route 138 in Wall Township and ends when the road disseminates into Hoes Lane in Piscataway. The road is the second-longest freeway in the state behind Route 55, which runs in southern New Jersey.^[1][2]

Route 18 was formerly numbered Route S28 and was changed to its current designation in the 1953 renumbering. The route originally ended at New Jersey Route 27 at the border between Highland Park and New Brunswick, but was extended northward to County Route 622. It was further extended in 2004, and currently ends at Hoes Lane in Piscataway. However, construction to extend the route to Interstate 287 in Piscataway will begin in 2008. Other future plans include turning the segment from U.S. Route 1 to Route 27 into an express/local highway with new interchanges.

Contents 1 Route description 2 History 3 Future 4 Major intersections 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Route description

Route 18 begins at a partial-cloverleaf interchange with Route 138 in Wall Township.^[1] The road begins by going to the north and parallels a local street for a short time. The second exit going northbound on 18 is for Monmouth Boulevard, a local road in New Bedford. Route 18 passes under County Route 18 near New Bedford and Glendola.^[1] The road continues to the north, interchanging with Brighton Avenue going southbound and Marconi Road going northbound. Brighton Avenue then begins to parallel 18 as the road continues into Neptune. In Neptune, Route 33 and County Route 17 interchange at Exit 8. The exit is split into 8A and 8B going southbound. The parallel with Brighton Avenue comes to an end as Route 18 continues into Ocean Township.

County Route 17 crosses over the highway at milepost 9.22 as Route 18 enters Ocean Township.^[1] Route 66 interchanges with Route 18 at Exits 10A and B at 9.54 miles. Exits 11A and B are in Ocean Township as well, and are for Deal Road. The next exits on Route 18 are for West Park Avenue in Ocean Township. The exits are only southbound however. Route 18 enters Eatontown and interchanges with County Route 547 at Exit 13A. Exit 13B, an exit a little further north, is for Route 36 in Tinton Falls.

Route 18 crosses over the Garden State Parkway afterwards, at mileposts 14.25 and 14.4.^[1] Exit 15A going northbound is for County Route 38 northbound, also known as Wayside Road. Exit 15B going southbound is for the same road in the other direction. Route 18 for a short time parallels County Route 537 in Colts Neck. Exit 19A comes up at milepost 19.02 for Route 34 northbound. Exit 19B, which is for Route 34 southbound, interchanges a quarter-mile later. The next interchange on Route 18 is for County Route 537 at Exits 22A and B in Colts Neck. Just after the interchange with 537, Route 18 leaves Colts Neck for Freehold. About 0.5 miles later, the road leaves Freehold for Marlboro and crosses under County Route 46.

The next interchange on Route 18 is for Route 79 in Marlboro.^[1] Comprised of Exits 25A and 25B, the exits make a complete cloverleaf interchange. Exit 29 is for County Route 520 and County Route 3 in Marlboro. The final interchange on the freeway is for U.S. Route 9 in Old Bridge Township. After this point, Route 18 continues the rest of the way in Middlesex County. Route 18's freeway segment ends as Route 18 becomes a divided highway. The first interchange in this segment is for Spring Valley Road, which brings you back to Route 9. Marlboro Road and Foxborough Drive are at the first traffic light on Route 18. Ferry Road is at the second traffic light, which leaves to the right.

County Route 700 leaves to the right in Old Bridge at milepost 32.32.^[1] County Route 700 parallels Route 18 for a short distance until it comes to an end near the interchange with County Routes 516 and 527. The interchange, which is a partial cloverleaf, is located in south Old Bridge. Just after the interchange, Route 18 leaves Old Bridge for East Brunswick. The intersection after the town border is for County Route 615 and County Route 527.

Hillsdale Road begins to the left at an interchange going southbound.^[1] Going northbound, Middlesex County Route 617 crosses just before its terminus at County Route 527. For a distance after the County Route 617 intersection, Route 18 passes by Brunswick Square Mall. The next interchange on Route 18 is for Race Track Road at milepost 36.21. Arthur Street, a connector from County Route 613 to County Route 527, interchanges soon after. County Routes 535 has a short concurrency with Route 18 in East Brunswick, until an interchange with Summerhill Road, where County Route 613 ends and County Route 535 continues. County Route 606, Milltown Road, crosses soon after at an interchange. At this point, County Route 527 is still paralleling 18.

West Ferris Street, a connector to County Route 527, is at the next traffic light. West Prospect Street, also known as County Route 677 is at the next traffic light. Tices Lane, a one-way road, interchanges with Route 18 at milepost 38.38. Less than a mile later, County Route 527 merges into Route 18 and the two roads become concurrent. Also present at the merge is Edgeboro Road, which begins to the right. Route 18 crosses over the New Jersey Turnpike at milepost 39.58 and interchanges with it at milepost 39.94. Route 18 leaves East Brunswick at milepost 40.3 and enters New Brunswick.

Just after leaving East Brunswick, U.S. Route 1 interchanges with Route 18.^[1] Route 18 becomes known as Burnet Street in New Brunswick and intersects with Paulus Boulevard and Route 172 soon after. Commercial Avenue, a commuter road in New Brunswick, leaves to the left at milepost 41.7. Route 27 interchanges at 42.29 miles. Bishop Place interchanges with Route 18 near Rutgers University. Route 18 parallels County Route 672 for a short distance before leaving to the north on the John A. Lynch, Sr. Memorial Bridge over the Raritan River. Just past the north end of the bridge, in Piscataway, was Route 18's former terminus at County Route 622.^[3] The road now continues north for another mile, intersecting with Metlars Lane and Avenue E before dissipating into Hoes Lane in Piscataway.^[1]

Work is slated to begin in 2008 extending Route 18 north from Hoes Lane to directly connect with Interstate 287. The project should be completed in 2010.^[4]

[edit] History

Prior to the 1953 renumbering, Route 18 was Route S28, and split from Route 28 near Bound Brook.^[5] It was signed east-west for a while even after it became Route 18.^[6]

NJDOT had anticipated upgrading the section of Route 18 through New Brunswick to freeway (or Jersey freeway) status. They even proposed an extension of the freeway from New Brunswick, through Piscataway and finally terminating at U.S. Route 22 in Bound Brook. However, tight funding in the 1970s caused both of these plans to fall through.^[7]

Construction began in 1965 on a 6.7-mile segment between Exit 6 in Wall Township and Exit 11 in Ocean Township. This portion opened between 1967 and 1972.^[4]

Soon after, new environmental regulations forced construction to cease.^[4] Most of the Route 18 right-of-way had already been consumed by 1970, however, designs for much of the freeway had not yet been submitted. In 1973, after work on new overpasses began in Monmouth County, the Federal Highway Administration ordered the New Jersey Department of Transportation to cease construction, pending environmental studies. Later portions of Route 18 would now be subject to State and Federal environmental design and impact studies.^[4]

With the environmental problems behind them, construction resumed on the section between Exit 15 in Eatontown and Exit 30 in Old Bridge.^[4] The construction was completed in 1979. A missing section of Route 18, between Exit 11 and Exit 12 in Ocean Township, was completed and opened in 1987. A missing link still was existent, with the southern end of Route 18 between Exit 12 and Exit 15 was joined in 1991 with the completion of the massive Eatontown interchange (Exits 13-15), where Route 18 meets the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Route 36.^[4]Route 18 was extended north from River Road, just across the Raritan River from New Brunswick, around 2004. Plans are in place to rebuild Route 18 south to U.S. Route 1 and the New Jersey Turnpike, but not as a full freeway. There are also plans to extend Route 18 north from Hoes Lane to Interstate 287; this too may not be built as a freeway. To the south, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) had plans to extend the southern terminus to the Brielle Circle, which is why Route 138 is exit 6 rather than 0 or 1. A portion of the right-of-way that NJDOT owns has been converted into a multi-use trail that links the Wall Township Municipal complex to the existing Edgar Felix Bikeway that runs from Manasquan to Allaire State Park.^[8]

The north-south portion east of the Garden State Parkway (south of exit 13B in Eatontown) was initially planned as a replacement of Route 35, but those plans were canceled and it instead became part of Route 18. Only the part south of Exit 11 was built as Route 35.^[7]

[edit] Future

This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

There are several future projects to work on Route 18. The first is route 18 through downtown New Brunswick is being upgraded to a local/express format. The project will allow for an inner freeway and an outer connector road. The project started in 2005 and will last until at least 2009. The limits of the upgrade are from Route 27 to U.S. Route 1.^[9] The interchange with CR 527 in Old Bridge Township will provide for missing movements and a bridge replacement, as well as potential widening. The current northern terminus with Hoes Lane will be extended further north as an arterial boulevard to Interstate 287. Traffic signals will be modified and upgraded, as well as consolidated. The project will be pedestrian friendly and most likely feature bike paths that will tie into the existing ones that parallel the freeway portion. The project is currently in design and will likely see construction in 2008. The NJDOT is in planning to create a Park & Ride at the terminus of the current Route 18 freeway. It will be placed along the four lane right of way just south of Route 138. Residents are in opposition to this proposal for fear of loitering and vandalism that may accompany the parking lot.^[10]

Construction is slated for the interchange with County Routes 516 and 527 in Old Bridge to realign the faulty geometric designs there. Improvements include adding inside shoulders and widening County Routes 516 and 527. Also, a new signalized ramp will be added for access to County Routes 516 and 527. After these are complete, County Route 516's intersection with Old Matawan Road is to be relocated. The project will cost over $28 million and is slated to begin in 2009. The project is slated to end in 2010.^[11]

[edit] Major intersections

County[1]	Location[1]	Mile[1]	#	Destinations	Notes
Monmouth	Wall Township	5.14	6A	NJ 138 east – Belmar	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		5.14	6B	NJ 138 west to NJ 34 / I-195 / GSP – Point Pleasant	Includes a northbound exit that serves as a U-turn for traffic on NJ 138 east
		5.72	6C	Monmouth Boulevard	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		6.82	7	Brighton Avenue, Marconi Road – Shark River Hills, Glendola	Signed as exits 7A (east) and 7B (west) southbound
	Neptune Township	8.28	8	NJ 33 – Neptune, Freehold	Signed as exits 8A (east) and 8B (west) southbound
		9.84	10	NJ 66 – Asbury Park, Freehold	Signed as exits 10A (east) and 10B (west)
	Ocean Township
		11.37	11	Deal Road – Wayside	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 11A (east) and 11B (west)
		12.07	12	West Park Avenue – Oakhurst, Wayside	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 12A (east) and 12B (west)
	Eatontown	13.46	13A	CR 547 south to GSP – Wayside	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		13.82	13B	NJ 36 east – Eatontown, Long Branch
		13.92	13A	Hope Road (CR 51)	No northbound exit
	Tinton Falls
		14.40	15A	GSP south	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		14.51	15A	Wayside Road (CR 38) north
		14.51	15B	Wayside Road (CR 38) south	Southbound exit only
	Colts Neck Township	19.02	19	NJ 34 – Matawan, Point Pleasant	Signed as exits 19A (north) and 19B (south)
		22.31	22	CR 537 – Colts Neck, Freehold	Signed as exits 22A (east) and 22B (west)
	Marlboro Township	25.20	25	NJ 79 – Matawan, Freehold	Signed as exits 25A (north) and 25B (south)
		28.40	29	CR 520 (CR 3) – Morganville, Red Bank, Tennent
Middlesex	Old Bridge Township	30.35	30	US 9 north – The Amboys, New York	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		30.35	30	US 9 south – Freehold	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		North end of freeway
		31.08		Spring Valley Road
		31.33		Foxborough Drive, Marlboro Road
		31.75		Ferry Road – Browntown
		32.80		Maple Street
		33.58		Southwood Drive
		34.41		CR 516 east / CR 527 south – Matawan, Englishtown	South end of CR 527 overlap; interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
	East Brunswick Township	34.90		Main Street (CR 527 north / CR 615) – The Amboys, Spotswood	North end of CR 527 overlap; interchange
		35.12		Hillsdale Road
		35.57		Rues Lane (CR 617)
		35.89		Brunswick Square Mall
		36.21		Race Track Road
		36.68		Arthur Street
		36.95		Spotswood (CR 613)	Interchange; no northbound exit
		37.14		Cranbury Road (CR 535) – South River, Cranbury	Interchange
		37.33		Milltown Road (CR 606) – South River, Milltown	Interchange
		37.88		West Ferris Street
		38.26		West Prospect Street (CR 677)
		38.38		Tices Lane
		38.89		Old Bridge Turnpike (CR 527), Edgeboro Road	South end of CR 527 overlap
		39.29		Eggers Street
		39.55		Kennedy Boulevard	Interchange
		39.94		NJTP	Interchange
		39.98		Naricon Place
		40.22		Tower Center Boulevard	Northbound exit and entrance
	New Brunswick	40.61		US 1 – Newark, Trenton	Interchange
		40.90		Paulus Boulevard
		41.41		NJ 172 (George Street, CR 527 north)	North end of CR 527 overlap; interchange; nortbound exit and southbound entrance
		41.75		Commercial Avenue	Interchange under construction
		South end of freeway
		41.96		New Street	No southbound exit
		42.24		Burnet Street	Southbound exit and entrance
		42.29		NJ 27 – Highland Park, Princeton	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		42.89		George Street – Rutgers University	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		43.20		To NJ 27 south / George Street – Rutgers University, New Brunswick	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		43.50		To CR 527 (Easton Avenue) – South Bound Brook	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Piscataway Township	43.86		River Road (CR 622) – Highland Park, Piscataway
		44.28		Campus Road – Rutgers Stadium, Busch Campus
		44.70		Metlars Lane (CR 609), Davidson Road – Rutgers RAC, Livingston Campus
		45.30		Hoes Lane	Continuation beyond Metlars Lane

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• 1964 plans for roads in the New York City area, including Route 18 and Route 35
• Monmouth County Functional Classification Map (also shows the proposed extension of Route 18)
• New Jersey Roadtrips - New Jersey 18 Photos

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